Las Vegas (CNN) – Though Sarah Palin has recently endorsed several political candidates, she has yet to give an official nod to Mitt Romney. And on Friday, as she rallied conservative bloggers toward “victory in 2012” –- Palin didn’t even mention Romney’s name.

The former Alaska governor gave the keynote speech on the opening night of the RightOnline conference in Las Vegas -– a gathering of conservative leaders and new media activists. About 1,000 people descended on the city to attend the group’s fifth annual event.

Much of Palin’s speech was aimed at encouraging the grassroots activists ahead of the November elections.

“Without you there probably wouldn’t be a tea party movement,” Palin said. “Thus no 2010 electoral victory, thus no hope for victory in 2012.”

She did not mention Romney as part of that potential victory.

Palin has praised Romney in the past. At one point during the Republican primary, she told Fox News anchor Chris Wallace that Romney was “a great candidate.” Yet during that same interview, Palin took some swipes at the former Massachusetts governor.

"I trust that his idea of conservatism is evolving, and I base this on a pretty moderate past that he has had, even in some cases a liberal past,” Palin said. "I am not convinced [of Romney's conservatism] and I don’t think that the majority of GOP and independent voters are convinced.”

During the primaries, Palin spoke well of Newt Gingrich, admitting in March that she voted for the former House Speaker in Alaska’s caucuses. More recently, Palin’s political action committee, SarahPac, has listed her endorsements of Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch in his re-election battle, and senate hopefuls Ted Cruz of Texas, Deb Fischer of Nebraska and Richard Mourdock of Indiana.

Palin could help Romney, indirectly, in other ways. One way: firing up the base and possibly independents with a steady diet of anti-President Obama red meat.

While accusing the mainstream media of not properly vetting the president, Palin said: “We would have known, had the media done its job, of his strange attraction to the most leftist -– radical of leftist ideas.” And seizing on a hot button issue, the former Alaska governor charged, “If [the news media] had done their job, perhaps we would not be shocked to know that our White House would politicize national security by leaking highly confidential information to prop up the polls.”

Last week, the president broadly dismissed such claims.

"The notion that my White House would purposely release classified national security information is offensive, it's wrong, and people, I think, need to have a better sense of how I approach this office and how the people around me approach this office," Obama said.

Palin was also relentless in her attacks against the media. Large chunks of her speech were devoted to blasting reporters for, what she called “lies.”

“According to news reports over these years, shoot, by now - I guess I should’ve been divorced how many times?” Palin said. “And under FBI investigation. And living in Montana. Or the Hamptons. Lately it’s been the Hamptons. It is still a great mystery: who really is Trig Paxon Van Palin’s real mother?”

Meanwhile, some of Palin’s zings were directed at members of her own party.

As she hailed last year’s pro-Gov. Scott Walker rallies in Wisconsin, Palin said: “Remember, while we were in Wisconsin defending tough, needed fiscal reform, some back in the establishment in [Washington] D.C., they were already walking back their promises to cut $100 billion dollars from deficit.”

In the 2010 midterm elections, House Republicans promised to cut $100 billion in spending, something they did not achieve.

“The permanent political class broke promises that they never intended to keep,” she said.

And as she praised the work of the conservative bloggers and new media activists – calling them “an army of Davids against the Goliath of the old media that still wants to deceive” - Palin urged them to keep their grassroots street cred.

“Whatever the outcome is in November, please do not get co-opted by the permanent political class,” Palin said. “You need to stay outside of the machine…stay outside the political establishment in order to hold them accountable.”

Palin did attempt to lighten the mood during her speech. At one point, she used a play on words between polls - and poles.

Now here we are in Vegas, and you know – like in Vegas – and in Washington too, they talk a lot about polls. There are a lot of poles in Vegas,” Palin said, eliciting laughter from the crowd.

“The White House likes to cite polls in their recent reports - especially because the figures involved in those polls are usually augmented, too.”

soundoff(234 Responses)

no compromise ever is the new battle cry and everyone who don't like it, can stand aside while we take back this country

June 16, 2012 12:39 pm at 12:39 pm |

Laura

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A whole 1000 people "descended" on Vegas??? OMG, I hope the city was able to absorb that large of a group.

June 16, 2012 12:40 pm at 12:40 pm |

Zan 07

Sarah Palin is no John Galt. End of story. Tea Partiers go look that up in your unopened, unread and misinterpreted copy of Atlas Shrugged.

June 16, 2012 12:42 pm at 12:42 pm |

John

Why does people pay to listen to Saran Palin any way ,I mean after all when time got hard In her State what do she do she QUIT. And than she have to write thing on her hand so she know what she suppose to talk about ,and she prove to all most all American People just how Dumb she really Is. Like the old saying go a Fool and there money soon go away.

June 16, 2012 12:44 pm at 12:44 pm |

drewsco

ptarmigan,

I agree, why is anybody giving this fool any attention?

June 16, 2012 12:46 pm at 12:46 pm |

california girl

THERE SHE GOES AGAIN...this crazy woman...trying hard again.

June 16, 2012 12:46 pm at 12:46 pm |

jeff george

1000 people do not "descend." They "kinda show up." For Vegas, that's not much of an audience. For a tech conference a few years back, I personally spoke to a lot more people than THAT. Even among my conservative friends, she's considered a bozo.

June 16, 2012 12:48 pm at 12:48 pm |

Jules

Back to Alaska, please.

June 16, 2012 12:48 pm at 12:48 pm |

ThinkAgain

The Quitta from Wasilla slamming President Obama while not mentioning Mittens is all in keeping with Grover Norquist's strategy of getting GOP voters to hold their noses and vote for someone they believe belongs to a cult and is not a "real" Christian.

As Norquest said at CPAC in February: "All we have to do is replace Obama. ... We are not auditioning for fearless leader. We don't need a president to tell us in what direction to go. We know what direction to go. We want the Ryan budget. ... We just need a president to sign this stuff. We don't need someone to think it up or design it. The leadership now for the modern conservative movement for the next 20 years will be coming out of the House and the Senate.

BTW, here are Norquist's "qualifications" for President:

"Pick a Republican with enough working digits to handle a pen to become president of the United States. This is a change for Republicans: the House and Senate doing the work with the president signing bills. His job is to be captain of the team, to sign the legislation that has already been prepared."

So the choice is simple: Do you want a leader who thinks for himself or another GW Bush puppet doing the bidding of unelected officials representing corporate interests, regardless of the cost to our country and her people?

Don't let this happen to our country. Vote Obama/Biden in November

June 16, 2012 12:49 pm at 12:49 pm |

Weasley

Sarah Palin, like so many other Tea Party infected Republicans, have chosen to declared war against everything that, well, isn't them. Rather than reach out to the liberals and moderates, who constitute more than 50% of the voting population of this country, these ultra conservative Republicans are going to war against their fellow Americans.

I blame their inability to find a common ground, their intransigence, their innate obstinance, on their dim understanding of Christianity. They have been taught that their religion–their dogma, their morality, and thus their world view–is absolute. There is no middle ground, and no room for compromise.

Conservative Republicans view politics in exactly the same way: Their party IS the party of Right. You are either a member, or you are the enemy and must be undone. There is no middle ground, and no room for compromise.

Reason and concession are antithetical to Believers–whether the belief system revolves around religious dogma or political doctrine. In the Republican party they are now one in the same. The Founding Fathers fought to dissuade this morphing of religion and politics, but so many conservatives are blind to the lessons of history.

June 16, 2012 12:51 pm at 12:51 pm |

ThinkAgain

I watched "The Iron Lady" last night about Margaret Thatcher. While I abhor Thatcher's policies, I do admire her courage and strength. One line from the movie struck me and immediately made me think of the Quitta from Wasilla and her trip to meet Thatcher a couple years ago.

Thatcher complained that people today don't want to "do things," they just want to "be somebody." Too many politicians were looking for celebrity, but lacked any real ability to think and analyze and promote ideas; instead they were cowards, unwilling to face challenges and relied on playing on people's feelings to maintain their popularity.

I can only imagine what Thatcher thought of the Quitta when they "met" (knowing that Thatcher is suffering from Alzheimer's). Her "conservative" ideals not withstanding, the Quitta is the epitome of all that Thatcher despised in modern politicians.

Palin = Quitter, Liar, Mooch

June 16, 2012 12:53 pm at 12:53 pm |

david mann

I would have to guess that Palin has a lower "Favorability" rating than Dubya, and nobody on the Repugnicant side is asking HIS opinion. Why is ANYONE asking for her's?

June 16, 2012 12:57 pm at 12:57 pm |

Elphaba

The Tea Party is dead. If not, Santorum would be the nominee. Get over it, Palin. The GOP has moninated a fairly moderate Mormon. No far right Christian to turn America into a Christian theocracy like Irans Muslim theocracy. The people of America are smarter than 5that.

Once again.... Why do we care about what she says. She has no experience to draw from and she has no facts to back what she says.

June 16, 2012 01:00 pm at 1:00 pm |

Glenn NM

Thankfully, there's only a very small naive group of people in this country who actually give a damn what this woman thinks.

June 16, 2012 01:01 pm at 1:01 pm |

ThinkAgain

The Repubs love to whine and cry on about how President Obama wasn't "vetted enough." Just another play to the victimization their base feels because they lost in 2008 and all their economic, military and foreign policies are PROVEN FAILURES.

BTW, given the millions of dollars and thousands of lawyers, in addition the 22-months of campaigning, hundreds of interviews, scores of townhalls and debates that President Obama engaged in, along with all the research the GOP engaged in (given they wanted McCain to win) during the campaign, to even entertain the idea that President Obama wasn't "vetted enough" is delusional.

Which gives you an idea of what the Quitta and all those fools who listen to her are all about: Deluded fools.

June 16, 2012 01:02 pm at 1:02 pm |

Bill

Has this woman ever said anything intelligent in her entire life?

June 16, 2012 01:03 pm at 1:03 pm |

Weasley

Sarah Palin, like so many other Tea Party infected Republicans, have chosen to declared war against everything that, well, isn't them. Rather than reach out to the liberals and moderates, who constitute more than 50% of the voting population of this country, these ultra conservative Republicans are going to war against their fellow Americans.

I blame their inability to find a common ground, their intransigence, their innate obstinance, on their dim understanding of Christianity. They have been taught that their religion–dogma, morality, world view–is absolute. There is no middle ground, no room for compromise.

Conservative Republicans view politics in exactly the same way. Their party is the party of Right. You are either a member, or you are the enemy and must be undone. There is no middle ground, no room for compromise.

Reason and concession are antithetical to Believers–whether the belief system revolves around religious dogma or political doctrine; In the Republican party they are now one in the same. The Founding Fathers fought to dissuade this morphing of religion into politics, but so many conservatives are blind to the lessons of history.

June 16, 2012 01:06 pm at 1:06 pm |

contessa

Sarah lives in a "fantasy world". In her mind she is "running for President" so she has to continue to bash President Obama!! I wish Sarah would hop on the next space shuttle and take her family with her!! Red, Old, or Spoiled meat!! Who cares!!

June 16, 2012 01:07 pm at 1:07 pm |

obama2012

"I trust that his idea of conservatism is evolving, and I base this on a pretty moderate past that he has had, even in some cases a liberal past,” Palin said. "I am not convinced [of Romney's conservatism] and I don’t think that the majority of GOP and independent voters are convinced.”

Enough said.

June 16, 2012 01:09 pm at 1:09 pm |

Mark in Seattle

There she goes again! Thinking she's a somebody!

June 16, 2012 01:10 pm at 1:10 pm |

Christopher

Happy to see that slowly but surely Sarah Palin is winding up on (to quote her hero Ronald Reagan) on the Ashheap of history!

June 16, 2012 01:12 pm at 1:12 pm |

DTDinNM

No doubt narcissistic, egomaniac Sarah “The Quitter” Palin is thrilled to be thrust back into the limelight once again.

Sarah has pretty much been marginalized as a political force whose opinion really matters. She will only remain relevant to her narrow cult of low-information, radical right-wing extremist fanatics and will continue to stir up their frenzied emotions.

But mainstream, rational-thinking Americans have pretty much dismissed Sarah as an unqualified, irrelevant NUTCASE – even MORE SO now that the movie Game Change has come out!